3819 - Marine Enforcement Officer – Welsh Fisheries Monitoring Centre (WFMC)

Job summary

Location: South West Wales

The Control & Enforcement Branch within the Welsh Government’s Fisheries Division is essential to the protection of Wales’s marine environment. Operating under the guidance of the Wales Fisheries Strategy, this team oversees all matters related to fish, fishing activities, and fisheries enforcement, with a particular emphasis on sea fishing policy, industry engagement, and cross-border collaboration across the UK and Europe.

Job description

As a member of the Welsh Fisheries Monitoring Centre (WFMC), you will play an integral role in marine surveillance and regulatory compliance. Your responsibilities will ensure that fishing operations in Welsh waters—by both domestic and foreign vessels—are conducted legally, sustainably, and within the required regulatory framework.

Primary duties include:

• Monitoring vessel activity and statutory data across all sectors
• Supporting trade through catch certificate processing
• Preventing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
• Managing vessel licensing and contributing to UK-wide marine intelligence initiatives

Additionally, you will provide support to Fishery Patrol Vessels as needed, which may involve participating in weekend shifts as part of a rota system.

Wider Enforcement Duties

coastal enforcement operations

This position offers the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the preservation of Wales' marine ecosystems, collaborate closely with key industry and governmental stakeholders, and join a team committed to integrity, sustainability, and public service.

Person specification

You will be responsible for:

• Monitoring commercial fishing activity in the Welsh Zone using Vessel Monitoring Systems and statutory data submissions.
• Validating catch certificates for the export of fisheries products to the EU, ensuring compliance with international trade regulations.
• Providing real-time operational support to Fishery Patrol Vessels at sea.
• Handling sensitive intelligence with appropriate security clearances.
• Investigating breaches of fisheries legislation and preparing evidence and case files for enforcement action.
• Managing port state control issues, including oversight of UK and foreign vessels landing in Wales or abroad.
• Administering Financial Administrative Penalties and managing investigation files for the branch.
• Sharing intelligence with devolved administrations and prioritising Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing activity.
• Analysing statutory data to inform enforcement and policy decisions.
• Monitoring quota uptake by non-UK vessels operating in Welsh waters.
• Managing dispensation requests and contributing to vessel licensing processes for both domestic and foreign vessels.

This role is ideal for candidates with a strong analytical mindset, attention to detail, and a passion for marine conservation and compliance. You’ll be part of a collaborative team working to uphold the integrity of Wales’ fisheries and marine environment.

Licences

Do you have a Full UK Driving Licence?

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:2 stage processStage 1Application FormStage 2Interview

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : MilfordHavenFisheriesOffice@gov.wales
• Email : MilfordHavenFisheriesOffice@gov.wales
• Telephone : 03000 253500 (central Fisheries Office number)

Recruitment team

• Email : sharedservicehelpdesk@gov.wales

Further information

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles on the Commission's website.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales. Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk.